The UE Magazine Interviews: SCRANTON LACE FACTORY
Speaking as one myself, I can tell you that urban explorers are vastly misunderstood and our motives are grossly underestimated. I began photographing ruins in my community about two years ago. What compels me to do it is a mixture of curiosity and a drive to capture the sense of abandonment in these beloved places where people once lived or worked.
As America moves onward during this current age of our industrial decline, and communities find themselves littered with more abandoned structures than they can financially deal with, urban exploration is growing in popularity. Explorers are assuming the very public role of modern-day archeologists as they set out to document our downfall, one image at a time.
Yet, Urban Exploration is a lot like Fight Club. It is its own subculture filled with intrigue and drama; it attracts thrill seekers who are bored with the banality of modern ”consumer culture” life, and it’s a very secretive fraternity. In fact just like Fight Club, the first rule of urban exploration is that you don’t talk about urban exploration.
Luckily, while we gathered to explore the Scranton Lace Factory, I was able to convince a few “professional” urban explorers—photographers Kevin Brett, Jennifer O’Malia, Katherine Rogers and documentarian Erik Hummel —to participate in a group interview as an attempt to understand the driving motivation behind their passion for this way of life.
The article, “As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us”, is now available through UE Magazine .
Grab your own copy today and enter the world of Urban Exploration!
Enjoy!
Cheri Sundra
~~ Taking one of NEPA’s most “Urban Exploration Worthy” sites to an international audience!
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Cheri Sundra--Guerrilla Historian 